<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
First of all, thank you to everyone who responded. I was unable to reply to
many who did, but have summarized what I have received so far.
It seems that many people who are gluten intolerant/gluten sensitive or who
have CD have skin issues (especially dermatitis herpetiformis), and avoiding
handing wheat and gluten as well as skin care products containing wheat and
gluten solves their skin issues.
One person said they have no skin issues. Another has anhidrosis and is
gluten and casein intolerant and also has Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and
rosacea (which is cleared when eliminating casein) and wonders if they are
related.
Several people mentioned dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) as it is a skin
disorder often associated with CD.
I got some good replies regarding how the skin reacts to gluten/wheat and
how it would make your gut react (or not):
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As far as skin goes there is much debate but I like to think of it this
way... your skin is the largest organ you have and doctors now give lots of
medicines in the form of a "patch" that you wear on the skin, everything
from pain relief to birth control, so obviously your skin absorbs what you
put on it. Though I cannot say that these things go through to your
digestive tract to "bug" celiac, if you already have skin issues this may be
an issue for you.
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This is a complex issue that keeps coming up. Skin care products are not an
issue for celiacs or those with gluten intolerance. There are 2 reasons for
this. First the gluten molecule is too large to penetrate the skin.
Second, for gluten to be an issue it must come into contact with the
digestive tract. So even if you had a large gaping wound that the gluten
could pass through it would go into your blood stream and not cause any
problems.
(As an aside this is why if you are in an emergency medical situation and
cannot find out if the medication is GF, you should ask for an IV. Because
even if there is gluten in the medication, it will not cause a problem)
This sounds great and seems like it should be the end of it. But it is
never that easy. Some topical products do come into contact with our
digestive system. The most obvious one is lipstick. So you need to use
common sense. If the product is likely to get into your digestive system it
should be GF. If it is unlikely then it does not matter.
For some celiacs it is just easier to make sure that everything is GF.
Finally, some celiacs do have issues with some topical products. These
reactions are real and we need to be sensitive to those who do react. I am
not sure it they are reacting to gluten or some other ingredient in the
products. I am also not sure if the reactions are celiac related or not.
It is possible that lots of people celiac and non-celiacs have similar
reactions. What I do know is that for these people the reaction is
non-existent or diminished when they use GF products. So it is therefore
important that they use GF products.
-----
I think most people believe that if you are just Celiac, then topical
products containing gluten are not an issue. Most believe that they can not
be absorbed through your skin and enter your system. But if you have DH
then you may be sensitive to topical gluten containing products. Also If
you have celiac and are a sensitive person- lipsticks, which often end up in
our mouths, may be an issue.
I have DH -Dermatitis Herpetiformis, also known as Duhring's Disease (and so
much easier to say & spell) and I have noticed that hair products containing
gluten, make my scalp super itchy.
-----
I didn't really start getting better until I eliminated all gluten items,
shampoo, soap, lotions, etc.
-----
I have dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) and do react to skin exposure to
gluten.
I understand the science says the gluten cannot pass through the skin.
While accepting that, I do not see how it rules out three possible
scenarios:
1) a topical reaction for DH sufferers and celiacs with sensitive skin;
2) absorption into the bloodstream through cuts, abrasions, and blisters;
and
3) accidental ingestion -- anything that gets on my skin or clothes can be
transferred from the point of contact to my hands and from my hands to my
mouth. Or, for example with soaps and shampoos, the gluten could simply
wash into my mouth.
Over the years I have out of necessity become stricter and stricter in
limiting my external exposure to gluten. I would definitely advise anyone
with DH to avoid skin and hair products with gluten ingredients and strongly
suggest it to people with celiac without DH symptoms.
-----
My concern is not gluten being absorbed through the skin. Women consume
lipstick and lip moisturizers - we lick our lips, rub our lips together, get
it on our teeth, etc.
We handle the products, then handle food. I don't know if washing the hands
really gets rid of gluten on them from applying skin products with gluten in
them, so then we handle food and other items.
I have had DH (Dermatitis Herpetaformis) before and can't get gluten on my
face. I don't want it on my skin or hands at all. I won't even buy dry dog
food or dog biscuits with wheat or barley, because they are crumbled and
dusty toward the bottom of the bag and it gets all over.
Cross-contamination issues, for me.
-----
Yes, I have reacted to glutens on my skin (and in the air). I have also
been told this is not in connection with cd, but that I show signs of ALSO
being gluten allergic (or lately, been told I may have the broad spectrum
gluten disease which affects all organs). I was biopsy dxed tho with celiac
disease. So, you do the math. There are people here who insist that one
cannot have both celiac disease and gluten allergy. My doc says not so.
Dr. Hadjivassiliou in Britain says one can have gluten intolerance that
affects all organs. (You can google him by his name and "systemic gluten
intolerance".) Whether celiac disease is a part of this broader spectrum
disease or a different disease entirely doesn't seem to be clear at this
point. But certainly with unspecific gluten intolerance, you can react to
glutens on your skin.
-----
I only know that I am gluten intolerant, not sure about celiac. My symptoms
are fatigue and mood issues from gluten. I discovered this while trying the
GF diet with my daughter who has more actual celiac symptoms.
For my whole life, pre-GF, I had an itchy scalp and used dandruff shampoo.
Sometimes that wasn't enough to keep the itchiness under control. After a
few weeks of being on the GF diet, I noticed my head wasn't itchy and
decided to use regular shampoo. Immediately, when I put the shampoo on my
head, my head burned. I looked at the shampoo and sure enough, it had wheat
as an ingredient. I washed it out as well as I could but for several days
afterwards, my head and back itched ( from where the shampoo ran down my
back). I am now careful about my hair and skin products and don't have an
itchy head any more.
I don't know if I have a wheat allergy in addition to an intolerance, but
that convinced me to avoid gluten in anything that is going on my skin. It
also made a true believer out of me that I should not eat it, because that
same reaction might be going on inside.
Before trying the GF diet and getting gluten so completely out of my diet, I
never had such an immediate, strong reaction to the wheat in hair products.
If you haven't tried eliminating gluten from your skin care products, etc.,
I think it would be worth a try, since you have skin issues.
-----
~Raven Creature
http://ravencreature.com/
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